Audio
Radio
Radio will never go extinct, yet the device
with which we listen to radio has changed a lot. Whether you listen to
it through the Internet or in your car doesn't matter, there will always
be radio. You can of course download just about any song but its not the
same. The radio stays the best companion.
Audio tape
Digital audio tapes used for sound recording
and reproduction. Ins the 1970's digital recording on magnetic tape was
developed for professional use and in the late 1980's for the consumer
market. Audio signals are converted into digital data on a magnetic tape
by a microprocessor (analogue-to-digital converter). A digital-to-analogue
converter converts the data back to an audio signal for playback with the
amplifier of a conventional stereo sound system. In digital recording sound
waves are sampled thousands of times per second and then transformed into
a series of pulses that correspond to patterns of binary code that are
recorded on tape (or optical disc).
The last obstacle to marketing digital audio
tape for home use was the potential of making copies indistinguishable
from the original. This was overcome in the late 1980's when manufacturers
adopted the Serial Copy Management System, allowing direct copying of CD's
and other digital sources but copies may not be made of copies.
CD
CD's have more space to store audio on and
gives you a much higher sound quality. It also allows, much like DVD, direct
access to any track at any time.